Kniphofia plant named ‘Banana Popsicle’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Kniphofia  plant characterized by numerous spikes of golden yellow flowers the first year, repeat blooming from July through October in Canby, Oreg., a compact habit with multiple crowns, narrow, grassy leaves, and excellent vigor, filling a one gallon pot the first year from tissue culture.

Botanical denomination: Kniphofia spp.

Cultivar designation: ‘Banana Popsicle’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Kniphofia, and given the cultivar name ‘Banana Popsicle’. Kniphofia is in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae. ‘Banana Popsicle’ is a hybrid resulting from a planned breeding program to produce a series of compact, reblooming Kniphofia. The cross was made using the following proprietary, unreleased plants: Kniphofia 84-4, as the seed parent, and Kniphofia 80-3, as the pollen parent. It was selected for best habit, flower color, reblooming, and crown count from many seedlings of the cross in Canby, Oreg.

Compared to the seed parent, Kniphofia 84-4, the new cultivar is more free-flowering.

Compared to the pollen parent, Kniphofia 80-3, the new cultivar has golden yellow flowers rather than bicolor light yellow to cream.

Compared to Kniphofia ‘Lemon Popsicle’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,011, the new cultivar has is somewhat shorter, with larger inflorescences, with flowers that are golden yellow rather than yellow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is unique and characterized by:

-   -   1. numerous spikes of golden yellow flowers the first year,     -   2. repeat blooming from July through October in Canby, Oreg.,     -   3. compact habit with multiple crowns,     -   4. narrow, grassy leaves, and     -   5. excellent vigor, filling a one gallon pot the first year from         tissue culture.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division, tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the new cultivar. Asexual propagation by leaf cuttings, tissue culture, and division using standard techniques as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a planting of an 18-month-old Kniphofia ‘Banana Popsicle’ in the ground in the trial bed in July in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Kniphofia cultivar based on observations of one and a half year old specimens growing in the ground outside in full sun in mid-October in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95° F. in August to an average of 32° F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition, published 2007.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Rhizomatous herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 6 to 9.         -   Size.—Grows to 45 cm wide and 45 cm tall from the top of the             soil to the top of the foliage, grows to 65 cm tall to the             top of the tallest inflorescence.         -   Average number of leaves/crown.—5.         -   Average number of crowns.—About 70.         -   Form.—Clumping. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Strap-like.         -   Arrangement.—Basal rosette.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 47 cm long and 12 mm wide.         -   Margins.—Entire.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Clasping.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous on both surfaces.         -   Venation.—Parallel.         -   Color.—Top and bottom side Green 137A. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Spike-like scapose raceme.         -   Number of flowers per raceme.—About 90.         -   Inflorescence.—Grows to 24 cm long and 6 cm wide.         -   Peduncle description.—Grows to 41 cm long and 5 mm wide,             glabrous, Yellow Green 146B.         -   Pedicle description.—2 mm long, glabrous, Yellow Green 146C.         -   Bloom time.—Early July through October in Canby, Oreg.         -   Lastingness.—An inflorescence lasts for 2 to 4 weeks             depending on the temperatures. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—27 mm long and 5 mm wide.         -   Shape.—Cylindrical.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous         -   Color.—Yellow 13A with tips Red 45A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Actinomorphic.         -   Shape.—Cylindrical and tubular.         -   Size.—Grows to 29 mm deep and 7 mm wide.         -   Texture.—Waxy.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous inside and outside.         -   Color.—Inside and outside, Yellow 13B.         -   Corolla description.—6 lobed fused tepals, 29 mm long and 6             mm wide, each lobe 2 mm wide and 3 mm long, ovate to oblong,             margin entire, tip notched; glabrous inside and out.         -   Pistil description.—One, 29 mm long, ovary 3.5 mm long 2 mm             wide, Yellow Green 144A, style extruding, 25 mm long, stigma             and style Yellow 11B.         -   Stamen.—6, 33 mm long, filaments 32 mm long, and Green             Yellow 1D, anthers 1 mm long and Brown 200C, pollen none.         -   Fragrance.—None. -   Fruit and seed: No capsules develop. -   Pest and diseases: No known resistances to pests or diseases. No     problems have been observed on this plant grown under commercial     conditions in Canby, Oreg. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Kniphofia plant as herein shown and described. 